Kudos to Changi Airport for tribute to Peranakan culture

I was pleased to learn that Terminal 4will have shopfronts featuring traditional Peranakan facades (“Changi Airport posts Terminal 4 sneak peek”; July 1, online).

The Peranakan culture, with its traditional costumes, cuisine, architecture and distinct language, is very much a part of Singapore’s history in the former Straits settlement.

As a Peranakan, I am proud of this unique culture that is peculiar to this region. Sadly, it is slowly being forgotten.

I remember how my grandmother used to wear a sarong with her face covered in bedak sejuk, a traditional white face powder made of rice, chewing betel nut wrapped in a leaf.

I also recall the smell of otak-otak, perut ikan (Nyonya fish curry), inchi kabin (Nyonya fried chicken) and many more dishes. These were once cooked in bulk and eaten around marble tables at home with the extended family.

Peranakan homes were always designed with an air well. Our homes were distinctive and, once, these houses lined major commercial centres in Singapore, Malacca and Penang.

I am glad those who designed Terminal 4 chose to remember this — my heritage and this country’s precious past.